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On June 25, 1950, the Korean War began when communist North Korea invaded South Korea. The United States, fighting under United Nations command, would lose more than 36,000 soldiers in one of the first clashes of the Cold War.

Upon his return from the Far East, Supreme Commander of U.N. forces Gen. Matthew Ridgeway addresses a joint session of Congress on April 22, 1952, and recounts stories of Allied bravery on the battlefield.

On April 11, 1951, President Harry Truman relieved Gen. Douglas MacArthur of his command due to their disagreement over the handling of the Korean War. On April 19, 1951, after 52 years of military service, Gen. Douglas MacArthur delivers a farewell address to Congress, setting off a controversy among congressional members over whether or not the Joint Chiefs of Staff had approved the MacArthur plan for operations.

On July 27, 1953, the Korean War armistice was signed, ending three years of fighting that involved two dozen nations. In his public statement delivered an hour after the signing, President Eisenhower commemorates those who fought to keep freedom alive.

The Navy spy ship USS Pueblo was captured off the coast of North Korea in January, 1968. Imprisoned and tortured for 11 months, Cmdr. Lloyd "Pete" Bucher and his crew were released only after he signed a statement conceding that the ship was spying on North Korea. Cmdr. Bucher, who returned to a critical nation, speaks publicly about the experience.